Isolated from water, honeybees larvae dead of European foulbrood and from the healthy worker-bee intestine. Also isolated from other insects, soil, salterns, foods, paper products, marine environments and an eye infection. Produces hetero- and auto-antibiotics.

Rather saprophytic bacteria, can intensively multiply in honeybees larvae dead of’ European foulbrood, its evolution resembling Paenibacillus alvei. Is a component of associative flora in European foulbrood, probably more active in the last stages of the disease. some strains are pathogenic for mosquito and blackfly larvae.Parasporal toxin crystals, visible by electron microscopy, may be produced by some strains isolated from an eye infection.